Andrews – Round 6 of Andrews Idol, and the second round of “sweet 16” elimination advancing into the “elite 8,” was dynamite, outta-sight and a heavenly delight for The Blue Stage’s standing-room-only house.
Another eight contestants from rounds 1-4 returned to town for a night of innocent wickedness, rowdy fun, honky-tonkin’ and knockout performances.
The contestants were again asked how they would spend the $1,000 if they won the grand prize. Many musicians responded that new band equipment was a must to continue pursuing their passions. More practical uses like mortgage payments, new cars and helping out mom were represented. The most ingenious answers were giving it to another contestant, along with absolutely not going to Disneyland but taking the kids to someplace else fun.
Round 1’s sole competitor and crowd favorite Nathan Melton of Walhalla, S.C., started the night off with a bang by covering Blake Shelton’s prison-break love story “Ol’ Red.” Melton’s second set kept up the outlaw energy and had the audience singing and swaying along to his take on Guns N’ Roses’ version of Bob Dylan’s anthem “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door.” Melton then brought out the big guns for his third set with an original song, “Crystal Clear.”
Round 2 saw both Therese Adams of Andrews, known as “Momma T,” and Justin Daugherty of Murphy return to the stage.
Momma T again brought her signature sultry 1970s swagger with her version of Leon Russell’s “A Song For You,” as covered by soul legend Donny Hathaway. Her second set saw a sweet dedication to her friends, a couple celebrating their anniversary, with a scintillating take on Chris Stapleton’s version of John Fogerty’s “Joy of My Life.” Momma then brought the house down with the honky-funky, tonky-billy Brothers Osborne’s “All Night,” which left many wishing it would never end.
A last-minute alternate for a drop-out contestant, Daugherty brought the honky-town energy to a fevered pitch with Luke Combs’ “Beer Never Broke My Heart” and continued the momentum with the down-home, porch-pickin’ favorite “Chicken Fried” by the Zac Brown Band. Green Day’s “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” provided a much-needed alternative switch-
up of the cherished post-Generation X ballad for his last set.
Andrew Cody, Gage Hill, and Conner Lilley and The Hollerin Frogs, all from round 3, brought a funky surge of energy and propelled the audience to new heights of fan frenzy.
Cody, from Robbinsville, with his signature black cowboy hat and flowing brunette locks, brought nothing but unadulterated backwoods energy with the Charlie Daniels Band’s “Long-Haired Country Boy.” Next, he got another sing-along started inside and outside with Southern hip-hop group Rehab’s drinking standard “Bartender Song.” Cody then doffed that 10-gallon hat to head-bang & channel Bon Scott during an inspired and energized rendition of AC/DC’s “TNT,” which got the audience’s hands throwin’ horns.
Also from Robbinsville, Gage Hill, accompanied by Drew Silvers on drums, led the audience on a musical mystery tour simply stating he would play a song by Lynyrd Skynyrd that we may all know; turns out that song was “The Ballad of Curtis Lowe.” Hill then cooled the crowd’s fever down a bit with his take on Chris Stapleton’s “Cold.” Lastly, Hill and Silvers name-checked Andrews into the infamous collaboration between Bob Dylan and The Old Crow Medicine Show, and Southern cover band staple of the Darius Rucker hit that is “Wagon Wheel.”
Conner Lilley and his backing band of Logan Vaughn and Brandon Carter from Reliance, Tenn., came out with all originals for the entirety of the evening. Fresh off a Friday gig in Murphy, the trio launched the night with a soulful guitar-shredding stunner titled “All I’ve Got Is The Whiskey.” Next up was the bluesy tune “Best Be Movin’ On.” Rounding out the night, they dealt their best hand with “Gambler’s Debt,” leaving the crowd anxious to hear more play for the pay.
Two of Round 4’s winners – CJ Brewer, of Pendleton, S.C., and Emily Franklin of Bryson City, gave the audience soulful sounds to wind up the night.
Brewer again made much musical hay of the Foo Fighters with a medley of “Learning to Fly” and “My Hero,” enlivening and lifting the crowd’s minds to new heights. For the second selection, Brewer brought Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me” back for a lesson in friendship, love and loss, which meshed well with the evening’s other song themes. Brewer then smoothed out the night with “Tennessee Whiskey,” best known as a Chris Stapleton cover of a David Allan Coe outlaw ballad.
Franklin set the stage ablaze with her starting song providing a feminist rendition of Randy Travis’ “Forever and Ever, Amen.” Her version of Little Big Town’s lilting song of jealousy and unrequited love “Girl Crush” almost brought the ladies to their knees. Ending on a spiritual note, Franklin belted out the traditional “Wayfaring Stranger” to tell the mournful tale of each poor pilgrim’s journey, with her signature alto plumbing the depths of every soul in the house.
The next elimination round for the remaining contestants takes place Saturday night, with the “final 4” round and winner announcement set for Sept. 2. Winners of Round 6 are Andrew Cody, Emily Franklin, Gage Hill and Nathan Melton.
The winner of Andrews Idol season one receives a $1,000 prize, along with a full day recording session at Emanant Music in Atlanta. Each contestant placing from second to fourth also receives monetary prizes.
Details: thebluestage.com.